9 Fun Things To Do on FaceTime
9 Fun Things To Do on FaceTime
The methods that families use to communicate with each other are changing by the day, and technology is a major part of that shift.
Families are more geographically separated than ever before, but with modern technology, we can create bonds, even when far away.
Thanks to video chat apps like FaceTime, Zoom, or Skype, you can now see the faces of your long-distance loved ones while you talk, get updates, share a laugh, and, most importantly — bond. But while these video services allow you to see happy faces when you talk to family, we all know how hard it is to keep a four-year-old focused on a FaceTime or Skype call.
That’s why Kinoo was born!
Kinoo is a family-focused app that goes beyond FaceTime by introducing activities and games you play into video chat. You and your family can take advantage of creative, virtual co-play games, no matter where you are in the world.
It’s an opportunity to connect with family and enjoy the active play activities that kids love, together, even when you are far apart.
Let’s discuss how Kinoo combines the magic of learning and online gameplay with what is essentially a reimagined FaceTime call.
Kinoo vs. Facetime
FaceTime is a popular tool that people use to connect with other people. However, your options are limited when using traditional FaceTime. For adult best friends and family members, it’s not difficult to connect and chat over FaceTime and hold a conversation. Sadly, the same cannot always be said with children.
It can be challenging for kiddos to concentrate on a conversation for a long time - whether on FaceTime or on a regular phone. They can tend to get bored… and are always ready to zoom off to the next backyard shenanigan.
But with Kinoo, you’ll have the options and resources you need to have a first-rate conversation that goes beyond FaceTime, including great games and educational activities you can play together.
Your calls with little ones no longer have to adhere to the time limit imposed by their still-developing attention spans. With Kinoo, family members will never want to be the first one to say goodbye and instead will jump to be the first player to get started.
#1 - Be Serious About Fun.
We all adore catching up with loved ones and seeing how they are doing and what’s new. However, those conversations can only last so long, especially if you keep in contact regularly.
Sometimes it can be hard to think of good questions to ask once you’ve gotten past the regular, daily questions. But with Kinoo, adults can get helpful hints, interesting facts, and creative ideas to keep their younger family members engaged.
Kinoo helps facilitate interesting and thought-provoking conversations by letting the adults in on fun facts and open-ended, age-appropriate questions to keep kids talking.
As adults, we become experts in business lingo at work, small talk in the grocery store, and the art of the sarcastic quip. Yet, as much as we love our younger family members, it can sometimes feel like we speak two entirely different languages.
It feels like that because it’s kind of true! Before the age of ten, children don’t have the brain development to understand “adult speak,” including sarcasm and other more advanced forms of speech.
Asking Questions and Getting Answers
While our brains do not quite line up, adults and children can still have insightful, hilarious, and life-affirming conversations.
One way to encourage these types of discussions is to ask questions that encourage kids to:
- Understand
- Apply
- Analyze
- Evaluate
- Create
These questions get kids thinking more about the topics at hand and can result in richer conversations.
A few things to keep in mind when conversing with children is that they might need more time between questions to think about what they would like to say. Don’t get discouraged if it’s taking them a while to answer.
Instead, give your favorite little one some time before speaking yourself or following up with a different question. You can also demonstrate active listening techniques by repeating and summarizing, affirming your care and comprehension. By modeling healthy communication behaviors, adults can prepare kids for future success.
#2 - Completing Puzzles Together
One might think puzzling would be difficult to do over video chat. Puzzle pieces can be hard to locate and piece together in person, never mind over a device.
Kinoo to the rescue! We provide virtual jigsaw puzzles on our app so that you can complete a puzzle while video-chatting at the same time.
Being able to see and put pieces together creates a sense of excitement and fosters teamwork and a sense of accomplishment. If your relatives gravitate more toward other types of puzzle-based activities, such as memory or matching card games, we also offer those in the Kinoo app.
Puzzles are basically like a gym for the brain at any age. This is especially true for young ones. As a child works on a puzzle, the left and right sides of the brain team up to work together, helping the child build problem-solving skills that can last a child’s whole life.
Fun games don’t have to be mindless, and learning games can also be fun! As parents and grandparents ourselves, we know that every moment is an opportunity for learning and growing.
#3 - Bake
If baking has ever interested you or your younger family members, you can try out the perfect baking activity — making cookies — virtually with Kinoo. To make the baking experience with your family more realistic, a child can mix the ingredients using our Kinoo Wand. This device uses augmented reality and leverage motion capture so that your little one sees the wand become a whisk, cookie cutter, or spatula on screen, and your loved ones feel like they are in the kitchen with you, mixing and creating together.
If the little ones in your life never showed much interest in the kitchen prior to these baking activities, you might just start a lifelong passion for the culinary arts. Next thing you know, you’ll be on a video call giving the child in your life a tutorial on baking your grandma’s famous apple pie.
You can also use these activities to spark up a conversation about food, what you each enjoy eating, what your favorites might be, and whether they’ve changed over time.
#4 - Playing Sports
Humans have been bonding over sports since the original Olympics in Athens. Now, you can play classic games like baseball over a video call with the Kinoo app. While using their Kinoo Wand, your grandchild can play baseball with you, swinging to hit the ball you threw to them from the virtual pitcher's mound.
Kinoo makes playing virtual sports active, and maybe the next best thing to running around in the park in person. These activities bring a whole new excitement to video calls with long-distance relatives.
If they’ve never played a sport before, these activities will give them a good idea of how the game goes. If your small fry really enjoyed it, you’ll know what physical activities to suggest playing next time you get to visit.
#5 - Go Fishing
Fishing is a special bonding experience between family members. It’s a wonderful way to enjoy the great outdoors, have quality conversations, and discover all different kinds of fish.
Luckily, you and your favorite kid can fish virtually, too. Your little ones can hold their Kinoo Wand just like a fishing rod. After they cast their line, you can help them catch a fish, which will come bubbling to the surface to share a fun fact or something silly.
This activity is ideal for kids who might get impatient with real-life fishing. Sometimes you can come up empty when you fish in a real lake or stream, but you will always get to experience the excitement and joy that comes from catching one virtually.
#6 - Tell Adventurous Stories
What’s one thing that all kids love? Fun-filled, adventurous stories are a childhood staple. As an adult, you have the honor of telling your little ones magical stories to light up their imaginations and create excitement in their day-to-day lives or help them settle down to a good night’s sleep.
Living far away doesn’t have to change that. Plan to make time each day or week to get on a Kinoo video call and read your young family member an unforgettable story. Those are the moments they’ll cherish as they grow up: storytime with the person who loves them most.
There are also many emotional and psychological benefits to storytelling. Stories help children learn to pay attention and help them understand others and feel empathy. These are just a few points about how stories and reading can contribute to growth and development.
What stories did you enjoy reading or hearing when you were little? Try and share them next time you have the opportunity to connect with your family and enjoy the smiles of wonder you’ll create.
#7 - Draw
Working together to draw pictures over a video call is another way to spend time together. From furry animals to colorful landscapes, there are so many options to choose from when you get creative and do it together.
This activity is a marvelous choice, even if you’re not Pablo Picasso or Vincent VanGogh. Kinoo offers fun, in-app tools, with ideas, suggestions, and even some step-by-step guides sharing how to draw different things. Imagine, create or follow the guide with your little one and watch them become artists who love to draw.
There are so many incredible skill-building benefits to drawing (in addition to having a unique masterpiece to give to someone as a gift!). Drawing is also an excellent way for kids to develop their fine motor skills. Drawing helps them learn to make smaller, more controlled motions with their hands and fingers, a must-have skill for learning to write.
#8 - Go on Fun-Filled Explorations
Who said that FaceTime calls need to exist in the realm of couches and dining room tables?
With Kinoo, video calls can transport families to all the destinations on your wishlist and the ones in your dreams as well.
Perhaps your younger family members find space fascinating or dream of becoming astronauts. With Kinoo video-chat, you can take a journey together into space and land on the moon to do some exploring together.
Kinoo not only puts you both together on the moon but gives you your very own astronaut uniform to wear. Seeing your faces in space suits fuels a whole new world of imagination.
A dance party in the stars? Count us in!
#9 - Take Them To the Beach
The salty sea air, the soft sand, and the relaxing crash of waves... but taking your family to the beach can be nearly impossible if you live far away from a coast. Not anymore — now, you don’t have to travel to share a sunny adventure with your faraway loved ones.
The beach is another virtual spot that Kinoo can bring you and your little ones. iWith our beach game, it is as if you're sitting at the shore, the sand in your toes, and the wind in your hair (minus the seagulls running off with your lunch).
We’ve created an exciting, summer-filled spot that includes the sand, water, a bright sky, some sandcastles, dogs playing with frisbees, beach towels and umbrellas, and so much more, all ready for your little one to arrange however they like.
You can enjoy watching your younger family members “play in the sand” as they pretend to be at the beach with you having the time of their lives. Build a sandcastle — no sunscreen needed.
Guess Who Is Calling!
These are just some of the many different ways you can begin having fun over video-call with your family. If these sound like activities you and your family will enjoy, we want to help you make them possible.
To get started, we suggest downloading our Kinoo and visiting our website to get the child in your life a Kinoo wand. With the app and wand, you can access all the activities and fun we mentioned above (plus many more!).
Once you create an account, you will be able to invite other members, or they can invite you to begin the activities and get started on all the fun. You can have a one-on-one video call or share screen space to have group calls.
You don’t have to settle for mediocre video chats anymore; you can begin making your time spent with family that much more special and meaningful. You will never regret investing in creating a space to have fun with your loved ones. Memories might not be something you can hold in your hand (unless you print some adorable screenshots), but these memorable moments can live in our hearts and minds forever.
Sources:
The Importance of Storytelling and Story Creation | Paths to Literacy
6 Benefits of Drawing Time for Children | Kids Country
7 Surprising Ways Puzzles Are Good for Your Brain | Goodnet
Children Cannot Understand Sarcasm, Expert Tells Us Why | Moms